Motoyasu Kitamura
Motoyasu Kitamura is the main supporting character of The Rising of the Shield Hero series and the titular main protagonist of its spinoff The Reprise of the Spear Hero. He serves as a major antagonist for the first five volumes of the light novel story, alongside the corresponding web-novel, manga and the first season of anime. Motoyasu was a university student before being summoned to another world to serve as one of the four Legendary Heroes, the Spear Hero. In spite of his role as a Legendary Hero, Motoyasu used to be one of the most supportive figures to (former) Princess Malty S. Melromarc and was also one of the main pawns of the Church of the Three Heroes. In the anime, he is voiced by Makoto Takahashi in the Japanese version, and by Xander Mobus in the English version. Overview A 21-year-old University Student was chosen from across alternate realities to become a Cardinal Hero, the Hero of the Spear. Motoyasu is extremely popular with women and views it as his duty to protect them whilst showing off his cool side. As he immediately believes anything that women, especially Malty tell him, Motoyasu is often put into conflict with the series main protagonist Naofumi Iwatani. For the first half of the series, the Spear Hero is a major thorn in Shield Heroes side. After the Spirit Turtle incident, however, all of his party members including Malty abandoned him. Motoyasu became the second Hero to align with Naofumi, after Ren Amaki. His awakened Curse Series gave him a side-effect of seeing most of them as literal pigs and distrustful to nearly all women, except Filolial Queens. He became obsessed with Filo and later developed a habit of calling Naofumi "Lord Father-in-Law". Personality Although a genuinely well-meaning and caring person, Motoyasu is also arrogant, brash, impulsive, extremely naive and gullible, especially in regards to women. Alongside Ren and Itsuki, Motoyasu was originally convinced that the new world he was summoned to was a game, similar to one he played back in his home-world. This caused him to make several hasty decisions, without regard or consideration of the potential consequences. As Naofumi read in the book prior to his summoning, the Spear Hero is extremely trusting and devoted to his party members. As a confirmed playboy, Motoyasu's achilles-heel is women. He believes everything that they tell him and is convinced that women are incapable of any wrong-doing or deception, even when clear evidence to the contrary is presented. Malty was quick to take advantage of these factors, turning Motoyasu into her pawn. Despite treating his party members extremely well, Motoyasu is notoriously flirtatious. He will chase after anything in a skirt, especially Filolial Queens, and gives preferential treatment to women over men. The men who joined Motoyasu's party at the start of his adventure left not long afterwards, leaving him with an all-female party. He also dated multiple women, prior to his summoning. Motoyasu's fighting style focuses on protecting his comrades. He will do most if not all of the fighting, whilst they back him up with magic and powerful buffs. That being said, Motoyasu will not participate in a fight unless it is one he is certain that he can win. Whenever he does lose, Motoyasu does not take it well and will make up excuses as to why he lost. His relationship with the other heroes is extremely rocky during the early stages of the series. Ren and Itsuki are clearly jealous of King Aultcray's preferential towards Motoyasu, often noting the hypocrisy in many of his statements. Despite this, Motoyasu considers the pair to be his friends and trusted allies. In contrast, owing to Malty's accusations, The Spear Hero is convinced that The Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani is a bad character and can do no right. As he is forced to work alongside him to fight the waves, Motoyasu initially resorted to insulting Naofumi (both behind his back and to his face) and looking down upon him. Later on, however, he would not hesitate to engage Naofumi in a fight without regards to his surroundings. In light of all this, Motoyasu does possess some redeeming qualities. He takes his duties as a hero very seriously and despite his flaws does treat his party members extremely well. He also despises the concept of slavery and tried to rescue both Raphtalia and Filo from what he believed to be a life of cruelty under Naofumi. He is also capable of (eventually) admitting that he was wrong. When his party deserted/betrayed him, Motoyasu's personality did a complete U-turn. Although their actions left him a mentally unstable and broken man, Motoyasu used the situation to his advantage. Now, literally incapable of seeing women as anything more than anthropomorphic pigs, Motoyasu gave up many of his flirtatious ways, although he did remain deeply attached to Filo. Gathering a new party comprised entirely of Filolial Queen's, he used everything that Naofumi had taught him to restart his adventure and become a better person. He also became a staunch supporter of the Shield Hero working hard to make amends for his previous misdeeds. As an added bonus, Motoyasu's Curse Series made him immune to further manipulation by Malty. Role Note: In keeping with the objectives of this wiki, only the antagonistic actions of this character will be noted. For events following Volume 11 see external sources. Background Prior to his summoning, Motoyasu was a University Student and an avid gamer. He was also a playboy, admitting that he dated multiple women at the same time. This situation eventually turned against him, contributing to his death in his homeworld. When the two girls he was seeing found out about their situation, they demanded that Motoyasu choose one of them. When he proved incapable of doing so, they revealed their yandere personalities and ended up stabbing Motoyasu multiple times. This was accidental at first, but eventually, the pair concluded that he was going to die and vowed to join him in the afterlife. Volume 1 Becoming Malty's Pawn When Motoyasu opened his eyes, however, he was not in heaven or hell. Instead, he was standing in the Kingdom of Melromarc, having been summoned as the Spear Hero. Standing alongside him were his fellow heroes Ren Amaki, Itsuki Kawasumi and Naofumi Iwatani. After meeting with the King, Motoyasu (like Ren and Itsuki), was convinced that this world was identical to one of the games he played: Emerald Online. Thinking that he already knew everything there was to know about this world, Motoyasu was soon joined by a team of adventurers. One of these members, however, defected to the Shield Heroes party "out of sympathy" since no one else had joined him. Later that night, however, that same person, Myne Sophia (who was actually Princess Malty Melromarc) came to Motoyasu claiming that Naofumi had raped her. She presented Motoyasu with some money and chainmail armour, claiming that they were a gift. In truth, however, she had stolen these from Naofumi. It was Motoyasu who reported Naofumi to the King, and presumably the other heroes. The Shield Hero was brought before them under heavy guard. The laters pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears, with Motoyasu now considering him a villain. Throughout the ordeal, Motoyasu sheltered Malty and ignored Naofumi's statement that the armour he was now wearing was once his. This caused Naofumi to think that Motoyasu was involved in framing him, although he later realised that the Spear Hero was just an idiot. Motoyasu watched on jubilantly as the now-disgraced Naofumi was branded as a criminal and effectively made an outcast. Along with Ren and Itsuki, Motoyasu never once considered that this was all a setup and that they had just condemned an innocent man to a life of hardship. Fighting the Second Wave Motoyasu met Naofumi again, just one day prior to the second wave. He proceeded to mock Naofumi for his lack of good equipment before trying to flirt with Raphtalia. He was shocked to learn that she was Naofumi's companion, but was interrupted by Naofumi before he could warn her about the accusations. Though Motoyasu smugly stated that he was only telling the truth, the couple left before Motoyasu could do anything. During the wave itself, Motoyasu (along with Ren, Itsuki and their parties) prioritized defeating the Waves Boss and rushed off to find it. When they eventually defeated the Chimera, Motoyasu was the first to realise that Naofumi was not present, though he quickly dismissed it after being prompted by Myne. What the Spear Hero, along with Ren and Itsuki did not comprehend was that in their haste to defeat the said boss, they'd ignored the nearby village of Lute, leaving it to the Knights. Thus they selfishly endangered the lives of the innocent civilians, forcing Naofumi to prioritize saving the citizens the Spear Hero had neglected. The Duel After the wave, King Aultcray hosted an elaborate feast to congratulate the heroes for their efforts. Shortly into the celebration, Motoyasu was provoked by Myne into antagonising Naofumi once again. Learning that Raphtalia was a slave, he challenged Naofumi to a duel for her freedom. He offered nothing in return, but Naofumi was forced to fight anyway thanks to the intervention of the King. Like everybody else, Motoyasu firmly believed that it would be a one-sided match in his favour. Forced to fight against his will, Naofumi used monsters and his shields to his advantage. He managed to not only hold his own but almost subdue Motoyasu, backing him into a corner. Upon seeing this, Malty intervened, shooting Naofumi in the back and knocking him off balance. The Spear Hero did not see this, thus allowing him to retaliate and claim victory. Ignoring what had happened the citizens of Melromarc backed this up. After cruelly mocking Naofumi, Motoyasu was healed and went to greet the freed Raphtalia. Like everybody else, The Spear Hero expected her to be grateful. He moved forward anticipating a hug and praises, perhaps even thinking that Raphtalia would soon join his party. Instead, the tanuki girl slapped him hard across the face, knocking Motoyasu back. Branding The Spear Hero a cheater, she screamed angrily at him that she had never asked for nor wanted his help. Raphtalia then defended Naofumi from Motoyasu's pitiful accusations, effectively calling him a hypocrite and making it very clear that she saw him '''as the real villain in this piece. She then defiantly returned to The Shield Heroes side, proclaiming her loyalty and lovingly embracing Naofumi, thus undoing all of the Spear Heroes "hard work" in a matter of minutes. As a further insult to Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki then came forward and verified Naofumi's earlier accusations. They confirmed that Myne ''had ''cheated and that the audience ''was ''covering it up. They proclaimed Motoyasu the real loser of this match and criticised him for challenging Naofumi in the first place. Stunned, Motoyasu looked to the crowd for support only to find that nobody was willing to look at him, thus confirming everything. Unwilling to accept that he had lost the duel or fought for no reason, a desperate Motoyasu insisted that Raphtalia must have been brainwashed. This only caused Ren and Itsuki to express further disgust in him, stating their surprise that he could say such a thing given what they'd just witnessed between Naofumi and Raphtalia. With that, the Bow and Sword Heroes left Motoyasu and returned to the castle, with the rest of the audience soon following suit. In the end, all Motoyasu had to show for his "efforts" was a stinging cheek and wounded pride. Volume 2 A Handsome Reward The following morning, after breakfast, the Four Heroes and their parties were summoned to the throne room, to be presented with a financial reward. For his efforts during the wave and at the guild Motoyasu was presented with 4,000 pieces of silver, the highest of any of the heroes. Ren and Itsuki both got 3,800 silvers, whilst Naofumi was only given 500. Despite this poultry amount, The King still tried to rescind it, claiming that would cover the cost for the removal of Raphtalia's slave curse and Naofumi's absence in defeating the Wave Boss. Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki acknowledged that Naofumi had not been present, but were silenced by Naofumi. The Shield hero proceeded to criticise all three of them for abandoning the village of Riyute, thus confirming his presence, which was reluctantly verified by the Knight Captain. Never the less, the King was still unmoved. That all changed when Ren and Itsuki objected to this unfair treatment. Motoyasu was mostly silent, being the only hero not to object to the King's declaration. He only spoke out when the pair criticised the King and Motoyasu actions in the duel, insisting that he did not lose. Naofumi did not believe that this intervention was out of kindness to him, but jealousy for the preferential treatment Motoyasu was receiving. In the end, King Aultcray reluctantly handed over the original five hundred to the Shield Hero. After taking his reward, Naofumi left with Motoyasu insulting him on the way out. Naofumi who did not want to stay in the castle any longer, however, paid him no attention. A Race for Lordship Shortly after the presentation ceremony, Motoyasu was granted an additional reward. King Aultcray named Motoyasu the new Governor and Lord of a small territory within Melromarc, ousting the previous Lord without consideration or notice. Part of this territory included the affected village of Riyute. Motoyasu arrived at the village a few days after the wave, along with Malty and a small contingent of Knights. This change of leadership was met with staunch opposition from the villagers, especially when Malty declared that they intended to levy a fifty silver tax for entering or leaving the village. The reason for this was Motoyasu's lack of understanding relating to the currency. Naofumi, who had been staying in the village explained it to him, making it clear that this fee was extortionate. Hearing this, Motoyasu offered a small objection but Malty ignored him. Instead, she ordered the Shield Hero to leave and ordered the knights forward ready to resort to violence. At that moment, a group of Shadows arrived with a letter from the Queen, which they presented to Malty, rescinding the Kings orders. Not wanting to give up, Malty challenged the Shield Hero for the Governorship. This time, it would be a race between Motoyasu and his dragon vs Naofumi and his newest party member, a filolial named Filo. Once again, Motoyasu was confident of victory. He proceeded to taunt the reluctant Naofumi and his steed openly, stating the later was funny looking and calling her derogatory names. Whilst this drew laughter from his cohorts, it turned out to be a big mistake. Filo who did not take kindly to being insulted kicked Motoyasu, who had moved within striking distance, hard in his crotch, sending him flying. The look of pain on the Spear Heroes face, the fact it wiped all the smiles off his allies faces and the sight of Malty's despair amused Naofumi so much '''he laughed at Motoyasu's expense. With that, the Shield Hero accepted the challenge with great enthusiasm. Mounting their steeds the two heroes moved to the starting point. Whoever crossed the finishing line first after three circuits of the village would be declared the winner. From the get-go, Filo proved that she had a distinct advantage over Motoyasu's dragon, being faster and more agile thus giving Naofumi the advantage. Just like before, Malty cheated, this time with the aid of the Melromarc Knights. Utilising the various skillsets at their disposal, the soldiers used magic to throw obstacles in the Shield Heroes way, hinder Filo and bolster Motoyasu's dragon. Once again, the unobservant Motoyasu did not notice any of this and proceeded to taunt Naofumi whenever he was winning. Unfortunately for the Spear Hero, these efforts came to nothing. Filo's determination and speed won out over the knights magic. When the last soldier created a giant pit in the middle of the track, Naofumi used his shield to allow Filo to jump over it. After incapacitating the soldier, they crossed the finish line first leaving Motoyasu and his dragon in the dust. Motoyasu was stunned by this defeat and Malty immediately objected, claiming that Naofumi had cheated. In retaliation, The Shield Hero declared that she and her associates were the ''real ''cheaters. This declaration was backed up by the villagers and the magic shop owner, who was aware of Naofumi's skillset and therefore knew he was not responsible. The Queen's Shadows confirmed that they were aware of Malty's actions. Thus they restrained the Princess and ordered her to leave. Motoyasu for his part reluctantly acknowledged his defeat and agreed to honour the terms of the race. Just before leaving, he turned to Naofumi and insisted that he would not lose next time. Naofumi countered that he always lost, forcing the shadows to intervene before more than verbal confrontation could break out. Motoyasu and his party then left the village with the Shadows, humbled and defeated. Upon Malty's insistence, Motoyasu's dragon was abandoned and left behind at the village. Unintended Consequences At some point during his adventures, Motoyasu was asked to help a village that was undergoing a famine. Using his gamers knowledge, Motoyasu presented the villagers with a magical seed he'd recovered from a nearby dungeon. He told the villagers that it would grow into a tree that would provide them with an endless supply of fruit thus solving their problems forever. In typical fashion, however, the unobservant Motoyasu did not pay attention to his surroundings. Had he studied the container more closely, the Spear Hero would have realised that the seed was in fact extremely dangerous. It was the product of a failed alchemy experiment, whose creator sealed it away to prevent a calamity. Whilst the trees did grow rapidly and produce a high amount of fruit, they became sentient and attacked anybody near them. Thus the villager's were forced to flee their homes, although a number of them were trapped by the plants. Naofumi discovered the open box during a quest relating to Filo but dismissed it for the time being. It would not be until he travelled to the affected area that the Shield Hero learnt about the full scale of Motoyasu's actions. In the end, Naofumi and his companions managed to destroy the main tree, thus eliminating all of the plants and allowing the villagers to return to their homes. He also altered the seeds, making them safe and fulfilling Motoyasu's original intentions. The Spear Hero himself does not appear to be aware of what transpired in the village nor of the suffering he caused. As far as he is aware, he did a good deed and the village is now thriving. Volume 3 To be added Volume 4 To be added Volume 5 To be added Volume 6 To be added Volume 7 To be added Volume 8 To be added Volume 9 To be added Volume 10 To be added Volume 11 To be added Trivia *Motoyasu is the only Legendary Hero besides Naofumi to receive a protagonistic role in a spin-off series of Shield Hero franchise. *He has the most shuffling of the party members. He doesn't care much about the male members of the party and gives special attention to only the females. It is likely the male members are disgusted with his flirting habits before leaving, while the females are kicked out by Malty. *Prior to his redemption in Volume 11, Motoyasu was the most antagonistic of the heroes towards Naofumi. Prior to the events of the Spirit Tortoise, he could also be regarded as the antithesis to Naofumi: well-loved and respected, with top of the range gear. *He was ranked 3rd in Watchmojo's Top ten Pathetic Anime Rivals. *Motoyasu has similarities to Daisuke Hiyama: **Motoyasu is minor antagonist/anti-hero while Hiyama is a stand-up villain. **They hate protagonists. **They were believed that they are superior to the protagonists. It may have been true from the start, but considered to be inferiors to the protagonists. (Although Motoyasu surpassed Hiyama). **They are considered to be traitors (although Motoyasu was once). **They are jealous of the protagonists gotten attractions from most beautiful girls (Filo and Kaori Shirasaki). **They have different fates (Motoyasu was betrayed by the Pope and allied with Naofumi while Hiyama betrayed the Heiligh Kingdom but paid the ultimate price when he was defeated and the monsters eaten him alive when tossed by Hajime). 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